Congressman Paul Opposes NAFTA Superhighway

October 4, 2006      Washington: Congressman Ron Paul joined several of his congressional colleagues in expressing outrage at the planned “NAFTA superhighway” that will require eminent domain actions on an enormous scale in Texas and beyond.  H.Con.Res 487, introduced by Virginia Representative Virgil Goode and cosponsored by Paul, expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should not engage in the construction of a NAFTA superhighway or enter into any plans to create a North American Union between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.

Plans for such a superhighway are part of the so-called “Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP), which is neither a treaty nor a formal agreement. Rather, the SPP is a "dialogue" launched by the heads of state of Canada, Mexico, and the United States at a summit in Waco, Texas in March 2005.

According to the SPP website, this dialogue will create new supra-national organizations to coordinate border security, health policy, economic and trade policy, and energy policy between the three governments.  As such, it is but an extension of the NAFTA and CAFTA agreements-- government trade schemes that bypass the express constitutional authority of Congress to regulate trade. 

“This is a matter of national sovereignty,” Paul stated.  “Any movement toward a North American Union diminishes the ability of average Americans to influence the laws under which they must live.  The SPP agreement, which includes plans for a major transnational superhighway through Texas, is moving forward without congressional oversight-- and that is an outrage.  The administration needs a strong message from Congress that the American people will not tolerate backroom deals that threaten our sovereignty.”